The language of business typically revolves around money, management, and measurement. It goes something like this: “Money (profit) is our priority, so, to get predictable results, manage (control) everything (including people) down to the last paperclip, and measure it all so we can be as efficient as possible.”
The problem, however, is…
- Business is for and about people (helping people to be specific),
- You can’t control people,
- There’s too much about people that can’t be measured.
Bottom line: We need to rethink how we talk about and do business by creating workplaces and customer spaces that move from numbers first to people first. We need to make business human and keep it human.
Work should be a great experience, and being a customer should too. People deserve work life that’s fulfilling instead of stifling, and customers deserve interactions that are enjoyable rather than miserable. It’s time we make it great for those who work and those who buy so we can all have better lives.
We can make it happen, not with a dramatic revolution but rather by inspiring an evolution.
Here are three key plays to get the ball rolling.
- Constantly drive the message throughout your organization that the real purpose of business is to help people—that long-term success comes from putting human interests above business interests.
- Build a culture where team members help each other inside the organization so they can better help people outside the organization.
- Work to make things easy and enjoyable because it results in less confusion, less effort, and less pain… for everyone.
Large-scale change happens with small adjustments that virally catch fire. You can be the spark.
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A compelling thought and a future to fight for!!
Well said, Neil! Your message raises a question I’ve been pondering for some time: Have we become so focused on professionalizing customer experience that we’ve inadvertently made it less human?
In fact, I raised a related concern in a recent LinkedIn post about the growing emphasis on personal visibility, recognition, and celebrity within the CX profession. We talk endlessly about metrics, methodologies, frameworks, technologies, and professional accolades, but are we giving equal attention to the people whose experiences we’re supposed to be improving?
Even CX Day, which should be an opportunity to celebrate the importance of customers and the experiences we create for them, seems increasingly focused on celebrating the professionals who work in CX rather than the customers themselves. I find that troubling because it raises a fundamental question about where our priorities lie.
CX was never intended to be about the professionals who practice it. It’s about the people we serve and the positive difference we can make in their lives. Somewhere along the way, I worry that we’ve begun confusing recognition with contribution and visibility with value.
Your call to make business human, and keep it human, is a timely reminder that the true measure of our success isn’t how much attention we attract, but how much good we actually do for others.